Room-sized holographic video

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for using circular symmetry to eliminate the angle limitations of an optical axis in a scanned aperture holography system. A Room-sized Holography System may be a scanned aperture holographic video display and may comprise a rotating platform, a telescope comprising a first lens and a second lens, and scanners at the Fourier plane where the focal length of the first lens and the second lens meet. The platform may rotate around an axis aligned with a spatial light modulator. When the platform rotates, the scanners rotate, thereby de-rotating a SAW image. The second lens may be a spherical reflective surface for redirecting light from the spatial light modulator, having passed through the first lens and reflected off a mirror-scanner, toward a user's eyes. The user may be on a chair above the spatial light modulator, wherein the chair is configured to rotate with the spatial light modulator.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A scanned aperture holographic video system comprising:
 a spatial light modulator; 
 a first lens; 
 a scanner; 
 a second lens comprising a reflective surface; 
 wherein:
 the spatial light modulator is configured to emit light toward the first lens; 
 the first lens is configured or imaged to revolve around a primary axis; 
 the scanner comprises a reflective surface and is oriented to redirect the light toward the second lens; and 
 the spatial light modulator is configured to revolve or rotate around the primary axis; and in conjunction with the revolving movement of the first lens. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the spatial light modulator is configured to emit light directly toward the first lens. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the spatial light modulator is configured to emit light indirectly toward the first lens. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the spatial light modulator is configured to emit light toward a rotating mirror, which redirects the light toward the first lens. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the scanner is substantially located at a Fourier plane for the first lens and substantially located at a Fourier plane for the second lens. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the scanner is oriented to redirect incoming horizontal light upward toward the second lens; and 
 the second lens is oriented to redirect upward light from the second lens horizontally toward a viewpoint. 
 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the viewpoint is one or more eyes of a viewer. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the scanner comprises large non-revolving galvanometric mirrors. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a feedback system configured to receive mirror alignment information and to adjust the mirrors ensure that they are always aligned when they pass through the active portion of the display. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the second lens is substantially conical, ellipsoidal, or parabolic. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a viewpoint stabilizer for fixing a user's eyes at a view elevation. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the viewpoint stabilizer is a chair. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising optics between the first lens and the scanner. 
     
     
       14. A scanned aperture holographic video system, comprising:
 a spatial light modulator; 
 a first lens; 
 a scanner; 
 a second lens comprising a reflective surface; 
 wherein:
 the spatial light modulator is configured to emit light toward the first lens; 
 the first lens is configured or imaged to revolve around a primary axis; 
 the scanner comprises a reflective surface and is oriented to redirect the light toward the second lens; 
 the scanner comprises a regular polygon; 
 the regular polygon is centered on the primary axis; 
 two or more of the interior surfaces of the sides of the regular polygon comprise a reflective area; and 
 the regular polygon is configured to rotate around the primary axis. 
 
 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the reflective areas on the interior surfaces of the sides of the regular polygon are mirrors. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the scanner is configured to de-scan an image. 
     
     
       17. A scanned aperture holographic video system, comprising:
 a spatial light modulator; 
 a first lens; 
 a scanner; 
 a second lens comprising a reflective surface; 
 wherein:
 the spatial light modulator is configured to emit light toward the first lens; 
 the first lens is configured or imaged to revolve around a primary axis; 
 the scanner comprises a reflective surface and is oriented to redirect the light toward the second lens; and 
 the second lens is shaped to have a substantially circular cross section perpendicular to the principal axis. 
 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the second lens is spherical. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the first lens is configured to revolve around the primary axis by tracking the rotation of the user rotation platform. 
     
     
       20. A scanned aperture holographic video system, comprising:
 a spatial light modulator; 
 a first lens; 
 a scanner; 
 a second lens comprising a reflective surface; and 
 a user rotation platform; 
 wherein:
 the spatial light modulator is configured to emit light toward the first lens; 
 the first lens is configured or imaged to revolve around a primary axis; 
 the scanner comprises a reflective surface and is oriented to redirect the light toward the second lens; and 
 the user rotation platform is configured to rotate around the primary axis.